Material handling systems



July 20, 1965 w. J. c. TRYTHALL 3,195,960

MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS July 20, 1965 w. J. c. TRYTHALL MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 25, 1963 MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS Filed July 25, 1963 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 July 20, 1965 w. J. c. TRYTHALL MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS Filed July 23. 1963 Q a f E g a s W l I l d I l l l l L MWI mw mw hn Juv d@ Re July 20, 1965 W. J. C. TRYTHALL MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 23, 196s July 20, 1965 w. J. c. TRYTHALL MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed July 23, 1963 I .wl

l l l l I I I l l l IIJ||1| n-v-::|\::\l.n\\

n tion.

, yA further advantage is that with the material-supply kuh 3,195,5@69 MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS William .lohn Courtney Trythall, 44A Archers Road, Southampton, England Filed July 23, 1963, Ser. No. 297,123 1Q Claims. (Cl. 350Z- 53) This invention relates to material handling systems of the kind in which a fluid, or a powdered or Wet or dry granular substance, is to be conveyed by compressed air along a pipe-line to a receiving point such as, for example, a processing plant for the material.

In such systems the material is initially fed from a hopper into a material-supply vessel that can be subsequently sealed from the hopper and, thereafter, compressed air is passed into the supply vessel to cause the material to be discharged into the aforesaid pipe-line.

In such systems a ready supply of compressed air must be readily available for each supply vessel, and such a supply must be capable of delivering large quantities of compressed air in a short space of time sufficient to cause the contents of the supply vessel to be edectively passed along its pipe-line. Where a plurality of such systems are in use, the compressed air bottles or tanks that are used to store the compressed air occupy a considerable amount of floor space and entail the supply and installation of long lengths of piping interconnecting said bottles or tanks with said supply vessel, said piping being of sufficient diameter to ensure that the compressed air can be delivered to the supply vessels at the required rate.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a supply vessel of the kind stated that incorporates its own compressed air reservoir and thus eliminates the necessity 'for the separate purchase and installation of suitable reservoirs for the supply vessel.

According to the present invention a material-supply Vessel having a closeable opening through which it can be lled with material, and a further opening through which said material can be expelled by means of compressed air when said closeable opening is shut, includes a compressed air reservoir extending completely or partially around material-supply vessel.

In a preferred form the compressed air reservoir uses the whole, or part, of the Wall of the material-supply vessel as part of the wall surface of the compressed air reservoir.

The advantage of a material-supply Vessel constructed according to the present invention, is that the compressed air reservoir can be built to meet the exact volumetric and pressure requirements called for to expel the contents of the material-supply Vessel, since the size of the material-supply vessel and the nature of the material to be handled thereby can be ascertained prior to construcvessel and the compressed air chamber constructed as an integral unit it is a simple matter to interconnect the two `with means whereby the compressed air can be passed into the material-supply vessel at the desired rate, the previously referred to and separately installed runs of pip- 4ing used for this purpose being thereby avoided.

Further, it has been found that there is a considerable saving of oor space when a unit constructed according to the present invention is compared with an equivalent sized material-supply vessel having a separate air pressure supply source located at ground level.

A further advantage is that each material-supply vessel constructed according to the present invention need only have a single and relatively small diameter pressure supply pipe connected to the compressed air reservoir eX- tending therearound, since whilst the material-supply ves- United States Patent O 3,195,96@ Patented July 20, 1965 ice sel is being recharged with material the air reservoir can be recharging via said supply pipe by means of a compressor.

Inorder that the invention may be clearly understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. l is a cross-section through a material-supply vessel constructed according to the present invention and from which the material is to be discharged through an opening in the base of the vessel;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of FIG. 1 drawn to a reduced scale;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevation of a supply vessel according to the present invention and in which the vessel is designed to provide a low overall height and permit the material to be discharged through one or more openings in the end walls of the vessel;

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of FIG. 3;

FIG. S is a cross-section through a plan view of the Valve assembly shown at the top of FIG. 1 for sealing ott the top of the material-supply vessel, the view being drawn to a larger scale than FIG. l;

FIG. 6 is an end elevation of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view, partly in section, of a valve assembly suitable for mounting on the bottom of the supply vessel described with reference to FIG. l;

FIG. 8 is a cross section taken along the line A-A of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a detailed cross-section through a reciprocable cylinder unit suitable for operating the valve described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIGS. 10, 11, l2 and 13 are schematic diagrams illustrating the manner in which the reciprocable cylinder unit operates; and

FIG. 14 is a cross-section through a modied valve assembly for mounting on the bottom of the supply vessel as described with reference to FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1 a material-supply vessel 1 is provided having a truste-conical lower section 2, a cylindrical intermediate section 3 and a domed top section 4.

Surrounding the material-supply vessel 1 is a compressed-air reservoir 5 of cylindrical form and having outwardly-domed upper and lower end walls. The upper outwardly-domed end wall has a conduit 6 extending therethrough in an airtight manner, and the lower end of the conduit is secured, also in an airtight manner, for example by welding, to an inlet aperture in the domed top section 4 of the material-supply vessel. The upper end of the conduit 6 has an end flange whereby it may be connected to one flange of a valve assembly 7 `for closing the entry to the conduit 6 when the vessel 1 is to be subjected to air-pressure to expel the contents therefrom. The opposite ange of the valve assembly 7 is secured to a corresponding ilange mounted at the outlet end of a material supplying hopper S. g

The compressed air reservoir 5 has a connection 9 through which compressed air may be admitted from, say, a compressor; and an outlet pipe 1l) whereby the stored compressed air may be passed to a pressure Aregulator l1, a volume control valve 12, and an on-ott valve 13. When the valve 13 is opened the compressed air passes via a pipe 14 through the compressed air reservoir 5 and into the material-supply vessel 1. For reasons of simplicity the control assembly comprising the regulator 11, the valves 12, i3, and the pipes 10 and 14 have been shown as being arranged in a U-shaped assembly which more or less surrounds one half of the valve lassembly '7.

In FIG. 1 the exit end of the pipe 14 is shown as being connected to a diffuser ring 15. The actual shape of the diffuser 15 which may or may not be present, may be 3 of any suitable` shape since without it a pipe 14 terminating with its open end facing downwardly will create a tendency for the material in thevessel 1 to cavitate and have a holeblown through it, thus Wasting the blow and causing the apparatus to oper-ate ineiciently.

To the frusto-conical opening at the lower end'of the.

material-supply vessel 1 there is secured van annular ange to which is secured the flange of a'discharge valve' 17 capable of being rotated such that the material being discharged is passed out, through any one of a plurality of outlet-pipes 18. The material-supply vessel 1 -is4 fitted with a boss toV accept a pressure -gaug'e connection. y

It will be seen that inV plan View .the whole assembly occupies. an 'area that is only slightly in excess of that occupied by the material-supply vessel 1, the reason for this .being that in apparatus' of this kind the Vlower end at least of the'material-supply vessel 1 must have a sloping surface inclined at an angle that is steeper than. the

angle lof repose of the material being handled. It is the Y volume below this yslope that Vconstitutes the main volume of the compressedfair Ireservoir 5 and this'accou'nts for the only slightly increased cross-sectional area of the apparatus as a whole.,

If no increase Vin cross-sectional area at all is permitted then it is withinthe `scope pof` this invention for the material-supply vessel to have a compressed-air reservoir surrounding its frusto-conicalsection 2 only, the compressed-air reservoir being cylindrical and of the same diameter or less than the cylindrical intermediate sec- ,l0113. j A l -i The assembly may include stiffeners or stiening bulkheads, not shown, between thecompressed-air reservoir 5 and the material-supply vessel 1, for strengthening pur-y poses, and any bulkheads will be formed with holes Vto ,charge pipes 18 horizontally di-sposed at both ends of the vessel 1 so as to form a smooth gully running to the two discharge pipes. The discharge .pipes 18 will be lassociated with valves, not shown, so that either or both maybe opened. f l

A suitably Yvalved air supply pipe 9, leading from a the supply vessel. Such flow paths Acan be'controlled in size suchthat in association with a correctly proportioned ilow of compressed air the material in the supply vessel will flow at an increased velocity through the flow paths between the lbaille and the side walls of the vesself and such, that .they material in the supply vessel can Vbe accurately metered intothe discharge pipes.

According to one construction of the preferred form of the invention avsingle material loading aperture, leading to the lsupply vessel in the cylindrical shell, Vis situated at thetop of the combined air reservoir and material-supply vessel mid-way along its length and this Vloading apertureincorporates an air-tight closure valve 7 to which can be Vsecured any suitable form of material lloading funnel or chute. A; suitable material spreading device, for example'rof conicalrform, may be provided below the material loading vaperture to promote even lling or loading of material into the supply vessel.- `v

In an `alternative construction a plurality of material loading apertures, all leading to the supply vessel in the cylindrical shell, are located along the lengthof the' apparatus. In afurther embodiment there may, for ex- ,V ample, be a loading aperture in eachendwall of the supply vessel.

Where a continuous supply-of material is required to be delivered byl a pipe-line to a desired point, such Aas a processing plant, a plurality of units of the above described combined compressed air reservoirs and material-supply vessels may ,be arranged in parallel and used in turn to supply the flow of material. Since the operation of units of this kind call for a large volume of compressed air for a very shortperiod of Vtime .the parallel arrangement of i the units enables each pressure chamber to haveja procompressor or other main air supply, is connected to I voir ,S'interconnecbsfthe reservoir Sfwith the vvessel 1, there being suitable control means. in the pipe 10 such as the meansf11,-12, 13 described with reference to lFIG.

Vl but of which only the on-olfivalveV 13 is'shown. p n lIn a preferred arrangement the outlet,l` from the valve 13 is fedr'to afdiifurser member inthe vessel '71,in a similar manner as des'cribedjV with reference tothe diffuserV .the reservoir 5, and a pipe 10 leading from the Vreser- 15in FIG. l, so as to .Aapply'an Veven distribution of come therein and if `these' stiffeners are in the Vform of bulkp heads they are Vperforatedto allow compressed air in the cylindrical shell Y5 ,toilow freely between the divisions formed by the bulkheads. .Y f j l An adjustable bathe member may be incorporated inY th-e supplyrvessel, this bale member being spaced .from

the roundedfbase yofthe supply vessel andY extending along the lengththereofso asfto leavera material'ow path between each longitudinal` edge thereof and the sides of the hopper or hoppers62 before compressed air is admitted to the supply vessel 1 to expel the contents therefrom. *f l Y When such a valve 7 is ,opened the material from the hopper or hoppers not onlyv fills'the supply vessel but the valve body itself is filled with material and packed tight according to the head of materialabove it. Such ahead in a largeV hopper maybe as much as 50; feet. When the material in the supply vessel is to be discharged by ycompressed air the valve referred to must be brought to its closed position even though the valve itselfiis packed with material which is 4not flowing but ina static state.

Such a valve must not onlybe capable of closing against the resistance of such packing'but must be capablexof closing when. packed with Yany.` kind of material in any grade of hardness and anysize up.to,rsay, l inch `or2 inch grain size; and to be capablev of being airtight or. substantially airtight .to the;V air pressure tobe-used todischarger the contents ofthe Y"supply vessel, for example ya pressure of .80-100 lbs.pe`r ,squarer'inohQ ,1 f

v YA valve that iscapable of meeting all theserequirements is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and .6'and comprisesa central ,ow path 21 from whichextends ffour radially disposed cylinder members 22, ,the polar axes ofthecylinder members 22'lying ini a `common plane. i' 7 Each'cylinler, memberjZZ has` aborethat is enlarged at its outer end, as Yat 23, to provide Ia' shoulder 24 within the bore. Slidably housed within veach cylindermember 22 isa plunger 25 havingv alrtlanged end 26 that is slidable within .ther enlargedl endg23.. f Each of.A the fplungers is formedor fittedwitha conically shapednose 27 so spaced from theanged en d '26 thatwhen the plunger isrnoved to its Vvalve closing Vposition thelapex 28f of the conically r'shaped nose27 is coincident with vthe polarA axisof the central iiow path 21, and the nose 27 will have two sides, Y

snoepen ential groove 32 into which an inwardly flanged end 33 of its associated cap is a snap lit. Each plunger 25 and its conically shaped nose Z7 may, however, be of metal throughout and may, for example, be of hardened steel.

Each cylinder member 22 is closed at its outer end by an end cap 34 having a blind bore 35 extending from its inner face, said blind bore communicating at its inner end with a valve controlled air-inlet bore 36 and a valve controlled air-outlet bore 37, the valves for said inlet and outlet bores not being illustrated since they may be of any conventional construction. Each end cap 3d is secured to its cylinder member 22 by any suitable means, for example by being bolted thereto.

Each cylinder member 22 has a pair of air conduits 5l, 52 extending from bores 38, 39 on the outer periphery of the cylinder member 22 to bores 40, l1 in the shoulder 24. The bores 33, 39 may be screw threaded to accommodate screwed connections to valve units not shown, for example a valve for controlling the supply of air to the bore 3S to cause the plunger to withdraw into the cylinder 22 when only the air outlet opening 37 is open, and a valve for controlling the escape of air from the bore 39 when the plunger 25 is being moved to its closure position by only the air inlet bore 36 being open.

When the conically shaped noses 27 are in contact in the manner illustrated in FIG. l a clearance 42 exists between the shoulder 24 and the flange 26, this clearance, as shown, being of the same order as the width of a groove 43 extending around the inner periphery of the enlarged outer end 23. The clearance 42 permits each plunger 25 to be forced inwardly beyond the setting shown until the flange .26 abuts against the shoulder 2dand, in such a setting, the resilient noses 27 are compressed or distorted to ensure a tight seal therebetween. The width of the clearance 42 thus limits the amount by which the noses can be distorted.

The bores 4b, 4l in the shoulder 2d can be replaced by an annular conduit extending around the shoulder 24 and opening into the face of the shoulder facing the llanged end 26.

The valve assembly includes appropriate seals where necessary, for example a seal 44 in a groove in the cylinder kmember 22 and acting on the plunger 25; a seal 45 in a groove in the flanged end 26 and acting on the enlarged bore 23; and a seal between the end cap 3d and the cylinder member 22.

The'plunger 25 may be hollow, as at 47, to lower its weight, and to eliminate the resulting increase in air volume within the enlarged end 23 of the bore in the cylinder member the hollow 47 may be sealed off with a disc-like member 48. k

The valve assembly has inlet and outlet flanges 4d, Si) whereby it may be secured to the flanged base of a hopper and the flanged inlet of a supply vessel.

f 'It will be appreciated that when all four Plungers are y moved inwardly towards the polar axis of the central flow path, each plunger 25 will, by virtue of its conically shaped nose 27, be capable of pushing its way through any granular material tending to block its path. When the apexes 28 of the four cones eventually meet, they will each abut `against their neighbours on each side along a line of contact only and sucha line of contact ensures that there will be the minimum possible surface area on which the granular material can act to prevent the valve from being effectively closed. Any such granules of material tending to remain between said lines of contact will be subjected to a shearing action, by virtue of said line of Contact, as

vwell as displacement forces tending to pull the granules apart along said line of contact by virtue of the conical shape of the noses 27. As a result, it has been found that granular material, even though densely packed, moves away as the conical noses 27 move to their closure position and so effectively seal the central ow path 21.

it will be noted that the diameter of the conically shaped noses 27 is so related to the diameter of the central flow path 2l, that the lines of contact between conically shaped noses 27, when in contact with each other, extend from the polar axis of the flow path 2l to the circumference thereof.

it will be appreciated that the valve assembly described with reference to FiGS. 5 and 6 is by way of example only and that many modifications may be made thereto.

rfhus, for example, although four conically shaped noses 27 are used in the example described, there may be only three or even more than four, each with its appropriate cylinder members 22.

Again, although the plungers 25 have been described as being air-operated, they may be operated by liquid under pressure, or by any suitable mechanical means.

The plungers Z5 need not, moreover, be so arranged that their polar axes lie in a common plane since it is also possible to arrange their axes so that they lie in the surface oi a `conic having its polar axis concentric with the polar axis of the central ii-ow path 21, such a conic pointing towards the hopper or towards the supply vessel as desired.

Accor-ding to a further modilication, the central flow path 2l is lined with a sleeve, preferably of resilient material, said sleeve being hanged outwardly at its upper and lower ends so that said llanges can be used to support the sleeve, for example by forcing said iianges to enter recesses in the valve body, said recesses being of slightly less width than the thickness of said flanges. In such a modification only three plungers are preferably used, such an arrangement ensuring that when the conical noses of the plungers flex the sleeve between them the resulting three-armed star formation therebetween of the sleeve will result in -a minimum :stretching action on the sleeve as well as an effective closure of the sleeve. In this embodiment each conically shaped nose 27 and its conical shaped extension 3l may be replaced by a single integral non-resilient conical head since resilience may now be provided by the sleeve lining the flow path 2l. For this reason the clearance gap 42, previously referred to, is still retained such that t-he three conical heads can each exert a predetermined amount of squeezing strain or distortion on the thickness of the sleeve after the sleeve has been flexed into said star formation.

In yet a further modification the bores 36 and 37 can be replaced by a single bore, provided means coupled thereto is arranged to both supply and receive a pressure medium through said single bore. In a similar manner the bores communi-eating with the clearance gap l2 can be replaced by la single bore.

The above valve assembly, as described with reference to FiGS. 5 and 6 is the subject matter of my co-pending British application No. 27,513/63.

ln the material handling systems described above it is sometimes necessary for a plurality of outlet pipe-lines to be associatedwith each vessel and fora valve assembly to be included whereby the vessel can be coupled to any one of said outlet pipe-lines.

Suitable valve assemblies for this purpose will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 14.

Referring first to the valve assembly illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, it will be seen that a frusto-conical housing 53 is provided, the housing having four outlet pipes 54, 55, 56, 57 extending radially therefrom. Rotatably mounted within the housing 53 is a frusto-conical plug S8 having a ilow path 59 therethrough, said iiow path commencing at an inlet at the upper end of the plug and terminating in an outlet in the side wall of the plug, said outlet being so disposed that on rotating the plug about its vertical Aend members 75 and 78. Y v As shown in FIG. k9 the end member77in-engagement axis said outlet can be aligned with any selected outletV pipe 54 to 57.

y The housing 53 has an annular ange 60 at its upper end, said llangebeing suitably bored (the bores are not.

tegral with the plug 58 or lintegral with a ring embracing Y' the plug, the ange 60 being suitably recessed to accommodate thersprocket teeth as Well as a chain 63 meshing therewith. As shown, however, rollers of the chain `63 Y cylinder 76' is in its extrem-e right-'hand position. Simi- Fasten., that is to .the setting illustrated in FIG. 11, theY lrarly, the end member 74 is in engagement with the end member 77 and hen-ce the main-cylinder 73 is also in its extreme right-'hand position. This setting is achieved by admitting air under pressure tfo the supply conduit 86 land the'ilow .p-ath v92 as is illustrated in FIG. 10.

. 'To move the recprocable cylinder73 one steptowards air pressure Aapplied to'owv path 9,2 isV released by venting engage on a raised ring 64, integralrwith or non-rotatably s secured to, the upper end of the plug 58, the chain being pinned at its centre to the ring 64 or theV plug 58. The chain 63 is maintained in engagement with the ring 64 by means of two idle sprocket wheels 65 suitably mounted in a recess in the flanged end of the housing 53, one chain end passing around one sprocket wheel 65 before being coupled to a first chain-arm 66 at one'end of a reciprocable` cylinderk unit 67 and the otherY chain end passing aroundthe other sprocket wheel 65 before beingcoupled Vto a second chain-arm 68' Aat the other end of the reeiprocable cylinder unit 67.4

The reciprocable cylinder unit 67 Vis axially displaceable along a tubular axis 69 that is supported by spaced arms 7 0 on a plate 71. The plate 71 is clamped between the anges and 61 and has legs 72 extending therefrom u on which the arms 70 are mounted. The plate 71 is, of

course, suitably apertured soY as not. to'restrict the discharge end of the .material-supply vessel 62.

The reciprocable cylinder'unit n67, described herein- `69 are so correlated with respect to the chain drive arrangement that the outlet of the flow path 59 in the plug said ow path, and airV pressure ris applied to ow path 91. Since the air pressure supplied via the supplyfconduit 86 has not .been released the secondary cylinderV 76 is maintained inV it-s right-hand setting, but since air pressure is now being applied to the ow .path 9,1, and not the flow path 912, the main A-cylin-der 73 moves to the left until its end member75 abuts against'the end member 78. y The main cylinder 7'3 will thushave Vmoved one stepto theV left and `will 4have moved relatively to the secondary cylinder 76fand the Ystationary piston `79 as indicated `by* comparing FIG. 1-1 wit-h FIG, 10.

' vTo move the reciprocable cylinder 73 a furthe-r'increment towards the left, that is t-o the setting illustrated in FIG. 12, air'pressure is applied via the supply conduit 88 and flow path 92 only; supply conduit 8 6`ad ilow path 91 being vented. The air pressure in supply conduit 88 causes the secondary cylinder '76 to move tothe lett until its end flange 78 .abuts against the. stationary piston 79. Aty the same ltime, however, the air pressure supplied via the flow .path 92causes the end member 75 to move away from the end member 78 and so'the mainycylinder 73 Vanovesrelatively tothe secondary cylinderk 76 in a rightband direction until-the endV member 74 abuts against the 1 end member 77. `'1`herelative positions of the vcylinders 7-3, 76 andthe pist-on 79, is then as illustrated in FIG. l2

t-o the left by Fina-uy, the mais; cylinder 7s cabemoved mY its ex- Y ltreme left-hand vsetting by supplying compressed air.via

58 can be aligned'with any selected outlet pipe'54 to'57. l

Referring now toVFIG. 9, illustrating one form ofthe lreciprocable cylinder unit, there is shown a vmain air cylinder 73 clamped between end members 74, 75, the

scribed with reference-to FIG. 12 is that ow path 92 is vented and flow path 91 is pressurised, the main cylinder end members 74, 75, being slidably mountedbn the tubular axis 69. Within the main cylinderf73 is 'a sec-V ondary cylinder 76 mounted :on end members 77, 78, the

end members 77, 78 being Vslidably Vmounted. on lthe tubular axis 69. Mounted non-displaceably that is a sliding fit within the `secondary cylinder 76; To

render the'various components` airtight seals 81, 82, 83V

73 is displaced to the left relatively to the secondary cylinder 716 until the end member 75 labuts 4against the end member-78. Therel-ativej positions of the cylinders 73, 76 and the` piston 79, is then as illustrated in FIG. 13 and by comparing FIG. 13 with FIG. 12 it lwill be seen thatthe main cylinder 73 has been moved t-o the left by yet a further increment. Y y, l

'Ilh-e reciprocating cylinder unit' may, of course, -be

Vmodiiied in various ways provided thatthe final manner `of oper-ation remainsthesame- Thus, rfor example, the

and 84 are included between the tubul-ar axis 69 and the l end members 74, 77,` 78 and`75 respectively; and a seal 85 -is included between the theA main cylinder 73. Y

Theltub'ular axis l69 is constructed in any suitable `rn-an` ner to act fas an air supply conduit 86 extending from Yone :end to convey air to and .from an orilice 87 on one'side of the stationary piston 7'9;aand to actas an lair supply secondary cylinder; 76;'and

conduit 88 extending fromthe other end to convey air@A nime presentV between the endrrnembers 74 and 77;V .and

the end member'75 is formed with an airow path 92 secondary'cylinder 76 .may be omitted, the end Vmembers 77, 78 being thenspaced yapart by rods extending through bores formed in the stationary piston'79 (there being seals in said bores), andthe peripheral edges of the end members 77, VVV'71S beinga sliding lit with the internal surface of the main cylinder lTLS-,there .being seals between said would also have a, diameter substantially equailto the in-` fternal. diam-eterofthe main cylinder -73 so that there is a sliding Ydit therebetween when a seal,fsimilar 4to the seal f 580, is` applied tothe periphery of the stationary piston.

communicating with the air volume present-between the .K

Although the'reciprocating cylinder 73bas` been describedwit-h reference to a stationary piston 79 it will be appreciated Ythat it'is Aalso possible for the main cylinder 7573.10. be held stationary to allow thetubular axis 69 to be Y rdisplaced relatively thereto, the :resulting jfour settings of the Y tubular v`axis, 69 .being then used, by suitable connectionsgto, move the chain V63., vAlso, the tubular axis 69 could be in two parts suitably joined together -at VtheV Stationary piston 79. The supply conduits 86, 88, could,

f moreover, both commence from the same end.

The reciprocable cylinder unit described `with reference to lFIGS. 9 to 13 forms the subject matter of my British application No. 27,5'14/ 63.

The reciprocating 'cylinder unit described is, of course, `applicable to valve assemblies of the kind described wherein there is a choice of four outlet pipes 54 to 57. If only three outlet pipes are present then three iixed positions can Lbe `attained by usingany of the well known piston and cylinder units arranged to give three locations of movement, whilst for two outlet pipes only a standard piston and cylinder unit is all that is necessary.

-It will .be appreciated that although compressed air has been stated to be the medium -by which the reciprocating means are driven, pressurised Aliquids may be used as :an alternative.

In FIG. 14 the con-ical plug 5S is driven by means of an electric motor '93 capable of rotating a pinion wheel 94 through reduction gearing 95. The pinion Wheel 94 meshes with a gear ring 95' that is integral with or otherwise secured, for yexample by a force dit, to -a cylindrical portion "97 of the lconical plug 58. The conical plug 58 and its flow path 59 are as described with reference to FIG. 8.

The c-onical housing 53 may have two, three or more outlet pipes l54- extending radialily therefrom and by appropriately energising the motor `93 the outlet from the ow path 59 can be brought into alignment with any dcsired outlet. Such alignment is preferably `brought about .by the use of a circuit employing limit switches.

Thus for example, each pipe outlet may be associ-ated with a limit switch secured to the conical housing 53, or the ilange et), or the flange 61, and each limit switch may Ihave an arm extending through the stationary portion to which it is lsecured to interact with a single projecting cam carried by, or a recess formed in, a moving part; for example the conical plug 58, a llange 98 on the plug 5S, lor a ila-t ysurface of the gear ring 96.

Whichever outlet pipe is selected the limit switch associated lwith that pipe is arranged, by means of said circuit, to be the only switch through which the motor 93 is ener- ,gised and the conical plug 58 is consequently rotated until it has rotated sufficiently to cause said single cam or recess to cause movement of the limit switch arm of said limit switch to open said circuit 'and st-op the motor 93, the stopping position being .arranged to be such that the outlet of the flow path 59 is aligned exactly with the selected youtlet pipe.

Although the plug 58 has been described and illustrated as being conical it is possible for it to have any other shape and it may, in fact, be of cylindrical form, the housing S3 being suitably constructed to accommodate such plugs.

The valve assemblies described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8 and 14 from the subject matter of my Brit-ish application No. 27,515/63.

As Will now be apparent, the invention provides a material-supply vessel having its own compressed air reserkvoir and which therefore needs only a relatively small and flexible tube coupled thereto -to enable the reservoir to be recharged between each blow from a compressor or the like. When the material-supply Vessel is fitted with a valve assembly 4as described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 for the purpose of effectively closing the inlet opening for the material, and a discharge valve as described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 13 for selecting the appropriate direction in which the material is to be discharged, relatively -small and flexible tube couplings are again all that are necessary to operate these valves since they are both air-operated.

Similarly, the valve described with reference to FIG. 14 is dependen-t only upon an electrical circuit `and a flexible multi-core electric cable is all that is necessary to control this Valve.

The sequence in which compressed air is supplied Via said flexible tubes can be controlled from a remote posit-ion and, in a similar manner, electric si-gnals for a valve assembly as described with reference to FIG. 14 can also be remotely controlled.

The complete material handling system is also capable of automatic cycling `and this may be performed in any one of several ways,

Automatic cycling by weight The complete assembly could 'be mounted on a load `cell that gives an electrical signal accord-ing to the Weight placed upon it. When a predetermined weight has been `received this load cell operates means controlling the valve assembly 7 to cause the valve assembly 7 to close, `and then opens the on-olf valve 13 between the compressed-air chamber 5 and the material-supply vessel 1 to achieve a blow. Such a system would continue to operate as long as the electrical supply and compressed air are available, and weighing is possible in view of the fact that only llexible `connections to the material handling system are necessary, such flexible connections including liexible pipes coupled to the outlet pipes, such as pipes 54 to 57.

rl`he same result is achieved by supporting the complete assembly on one or more cantilever arms, or by supporting it by one or more pivoted and Weighted arms, Aarranged to maintain the complete lassembly in its raised position until such time as a predetermined weight of material has been received'by the material-supply vessel l. The resulting downward displacement of the assembly is then used to energise a circuit for closing the onoff valve 13 and initiating a blow.

To allow for actual movement of the Whole vessel assembly, when automatic cycling by weight is carried out, there will be a flexible bellows between (a) the storage hopper 3 and the valve assembly 7, and (b) between the outlet pipes, such .as 54 to 57, and the fixed piping install-ations connected thereto.

Automatic cycling by volume The material-supply vessel l is fitted internally with a device that is responsive to high and low levels of the material therein and which, when said level reaches a predetermined upper level results in an electrical signal causing the material inlet valve 7 to close and the on-off -valve from the compressed air chamber 5 to open thus initiating a blow. Similarly when the level reaches a predetermined lower level the level responsive device causes 4a second electrical signal to be produced tha-t causes the on-off valve 13 to close and the inlet valve 7 to open. The level sensitive device may be any of the Well known constructions manufactured for this purpose and would be some such device as a Fielden T ector.

Automatic cycling by timing This method of cycling can be achieved by the use of a small synchronous motor -driving a cam shaft, the cams `of which operate air valves, or air valves and electric switches, to actuate the inlet valve 7 and the on-olf valve 13 at predetermined intervals. This is the simplest of the above methods if the material input is steady and the timing cycle can be designed accordingly.

I claim:

1. A material handling system comprising a materialsupply vessel having a closeable opening through which the supply vessel can be filled with material, and a further opening through which said material can be expelled by means of compressed air when said closeable opening is shut, a compressed air storage reservoir extending around the material-supply vessel, an air inlet connected to the compressed air reservoir whereby compressed air can be supplied to and stored in the air reservoir, said air reservoir being of a size suilicient to retain a volume of air which can empty the filled material from the supply vessel, and an air flow connection through which compressed air can ow from the compressed air reservoir to the supply vessel, said air ow connection'comprising Y a volume'control valve, thearrangement being s uch that the valve controlled air ilow connection can be closed to permit the compressed air reservoir to be charged with compressed air through the air inlet connection whilst the supply vessel has said` closeable opening open to receive a charge of material,A and such that when the supply vessel has been charged with material and said closeable opening has been shut Ythe'valve controlled ilow connection can be opened to permit the compressed'air in the compressed air reservoir to flow into the supply vessel Vto discharge the material therein through said further opening. f

2. A material handling system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the closeable opening through which the supply vessel can be filled withv material includes atleast three plungers, the plungers being capable of moving from aV retracted position into a position in whichthey extendjointly into said openingto close said opening. 3. yA material Vhandling system as claimed in claim 2 and wherein said plungers'each have a conical nose, each of said noses, in its closure position, being in engagement along two sides with two of the other noses.

1:2 6QA material handling'system -as claimed in claim 1 and wherein*the'inaterial-supply vessel hasv two side walls sloping towards each other in a downward direction to a position-where they join to define a gully leading to said further opening. v

` 7. A Ymaterial handling system as claimed inclaim 6 and wherein ythe-valve controlled air ow connection Y leadstoan air diffuser over the materialain'the Asupply 4. A material handling system as claimed in claimY 2 1,991,403'V V2/35 McManamna 302-53 ,2,123,537` 7/38 'Marr 302-53' .2,524,919n 10/50Y Meincke VSO2-53 Y2,684,872 7/54 v Berg '302-53 vesselaswell astoa jet through which compressed air can'be blown along the gully towards said further opening. v"8. A material handling'systemas claimed in claim 6 and wherein the closeable opening through which the supply vessel can be iilled includes at least three plungers,

the plungers being capable ofy movingfrom a retracted position into a position in which they extend jointly into said openingto close the opening. Y

9. A material handling system as'claimed in claim S and whereinsaid plungers each have a conical nose,reach of said noses,f in litsy closure position, being in engagement along two Vsides* with two of the other noses. a 10:y A material handling system as claimed in claim 8 and wherein the VcloseableV opening is lined withra ilexible sleeve and said plnngers areeach formed with'a conical nose, saidv conical (noses, when they extend into said opening, pinching the flexible sleeve between them to effectively close 'the' opening. 'Y'

Y References Cited by the Examiner UNITEDV STATES PATENTS SAB/roar.y F. COLEMAN, Primm Emminr'.

rANDRES H. NIELSEN, Examiner. 

1. A MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM COMPRISING A MATERIALSUPPLY VESSEL HAVING A CLOSEABLE OPENING THROUGH WHICH THE SUPPLY VESSEL CAN BE FILLED WITH MATERIAL, AND A FURTHER OPENING THROUGH WHICH SAID MATERIAL CAN BE EXPELLED BY MEANS OF COMPRESSED AIR WHEN SAID CLOSEABLE OPENING IS SHUT, A COMPRESSED AIR STORAGE RESERVOIR EXTENDING AROUND THE MATERIAL-SUPPLY VESSEL, AN AIR INLET CONNECTED TO THE COMPRESSED AIR RESERVOIR WHEREBY COMPRESSED AIR CAN BE SUPPLIED TO AND STORED IN THE AIR RESERVOIR, SAID AIR RESERVOIR BEING OF A SIZE SUFFICIENT TO RETAIN A VOLUME OF AIR WHICH CAN EMPTY THE FILLED MATERIAL FROM THE SUPPLY VESSEL, AND AN AIR FLOW CONNECTION THROUGH WHICH COMPRESSED AIR CAN FLOW FROM THE COMPRESSED AIR RESERVOIR TO THE SUPPLY VESSEL, SAID AIR FLOW CONNECTION COMPRISING A VOLUME CONTROL VALVE, THE ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT THE VALVE CONTROLLED AIR FLOW CONNECTION CAN BE CLOSED TO PERMIT THE COMPRESSED AIR RESERVOIR TO BE CHARGED WITH COMPRESSED AIR THROUGH THE AIR INLET CONNECTION WHILST THE SUPPLY VESSEL HAS SAID CLOSEABLE OPENING OPEN TO RECEIVE A CHARGE OF MATERIAL, AND SUCH THAT WHEN THE SUPPLY VESSEL HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH MATERIAL AND SAID CLOSEABLE OPENING HAS BEEN SHUT THE VALVE CONTROLLED FLOW CONNECTION CAN BE OPENED TO PERMIT THE COMPRESSED AIR IN THE COMPRESSED AIR RESERVOIR TO FLOW INTO THE SUPPLY VESSEL TO DISCHARGE THE MATERIAL THEREIN THROUGH SAID FURTHER OPENING. 